Review: Tsundero

It’s always interesting to see a first ero work from a
now acclaimed mangaka and this is what I was looking forward to here with
Takeda Hiromitsus first ero work Tsundero. Now known for degrading and
humiliating ahegao centric, masterpieces what came before and how well does it
hold up?

There is no overarching story here, this is a collection
of one shots based around a general theme of girls becoming ravenous and sex
craving. Each one is different enough and some do veer more into humiliating
works. There is a girl seducing her tutor, a girl who secretly harbours needs
for perverted sex, a boy having his teacher force him into sex to improve grade
and more. By mixing it up each chapter it keeps it fresh even if the content
may be somewhat similar.

I’m so used to reading full blown stories that it makes a
nice change to go back to an anthology of one-shots, none of which interlinked.
Most of these are vanilla works with some edging over into uncomfortable
territory for some with elements of rape and blackmail. I am usually hit or
miss with vanilla but I liked the scenarios here for the most part, they’re
short, sweet, have gorgeous sexy art and inject enough to keep it from feeling
stale or dull.

Two stories I want to highlight with the first being Ai
Scraper. Kisaragi Shizuha is the strong willed and revered girl, she was
childhood friends with Shiga Yuuto until they separated due to age only to
reunite in high school. Now though there is a disconnect with Yuuto being
something of a pervert. She knows though and wants to get closer.

This taps into the sex slave kink I so adoringly cherish
but it is not forced. Shizuha is secretly a pervert and has masturbated whilst
thinking of him in all manner of lewd ways and now she has an opportunity to
live it out after he catches her. Seeing her slowly get into it, acknowledging
her desires is wonderful and well paced. Step by step it escalates and
fantasies become reality, she dons a collar, wants to be talked down to, degraded,
humiliated, she is in ecstasy before falling into and accepting perverse
depravity. It is everything I wanted but at only one chapter is sadly short.

The second story is Kaichou no Bukatsudou. Kizuno is the
president but secretly cosplays, in her attempts to shut down the anime club
they get her secret and use it against her but also reveal some dirty footage of
her masturbating while in cosplay acting out orders for her masters. Secret out
Kizuno becomes the clubs personal bitch.

Putting aside ludicrous aspects (cameras in her home)
this was incredibly fun and like with Ai Scrapper is letting a girl feed on her
desires. She dresses up, ordered into increasingly lewd positions before the
acts ramp up and she is giving oral to all the boys. Bit by bit her mind alters
and she bathes in the salacious nature of it all before admitting her cravings.
This is very similar with Ai Scrapper in setup and pacing while differing in
sexual acts and I loved this. Seeing a president get taken down is always fun
and here, seeing her use her body to satisfy the outcasts of the anime club,
the overweight, nerdy and ugly is beautiful. It’s just so fun seeing a girl
like that no longer inhibit her true desires.

The remainder of the stories bring some welcome freshness
in terms of what they offer. I especially loved Anekon: the tale of a boy
entering high school and his two, incredibly sexy step-sisters who entice and
have sex with him. I am a sucker for a sister story (blood related or not) and
here the two big sisters, taking control, toying with him, pleasuring him was
lovely.

Others such as Reika Shiki Akaten Kokofuku Jutsu offer a
nice spin on a teacher having sex with their student or the titular Tsundero
based on a perfect girl who secretly has perverted desires and more. It doesn’t
just stick with one theme, it branches out to offer a real variety of kinks to
cater for such as domineering women, sisters or evolving childhood friendships.
It feels like there is something there for everyone and it keeps the quality
generally consistent which is a big achievement.

With so many different stories there are bound to be some
which don’t quite hit the same heights and there are a few here that fall to
this for me. Mune Hime is one where the a girl quits swim club due to shame
over her long protruding nipples and teasing from the boy she likes. The girls
design and the whole setup did little for me and the longer nipples did keep me
out of getting rather into it. A design choice I was not a fan of.

The other two were With My Student and Newlywed and
Doppler Lesson. The former a simple vanilla tale of a girl falling for her
teacher and the latter another simple tale of a girl doing her coaches bidding
to get ahead. Neither struck a chord with me, the Newlywed story was easily the
worst in the book from the girls design to the bland scenario with zero appeal.
Doppler Lesson was an equally stale rape to mind break story which fell flat with
the girls design failing for me again with some overbearing breasts thus I
skipped these on re-reads. The sex scenes aren’t bad but they just don’t
deliver excitement or enjoyment.

Visually this is a banquet for the eyes. There is a bevy
of beautiful, voluptuous girls with curves in all the right places, ample
breasts and delectable bodies. Seeing them crouched over or wearing a skin
tight swimsuit the framing and angles always accentuates the girls more vulgar
sides from their curvaceous hips to succulent breasts or divine legs. When
they’re prominent on the page you know it as it draws you in to their best features
which are usually the luscious upper bodies.

All of the girls bodies match this voluptuous nature but
they do look a bit samey with only their facial features and hair being the
defining aspects (apart from their clothing). I have no real issue with this as
I love fuller figured girls but if you want a bit more variety you may have to
look elsewhere.

One observation here is the general air of an artist
getting to grips with their style. Not that they are inexperienced by any means
no, I mean more so that recent works have shown a refinement in toning, body
definition, line work, detail and the like that are not present here. I expect
this to come over time but it meant that some scenes didn’t quite feel as
stimulating or stick in the memory as vividly. Perhaps this is what it means to
be spoiled by their recent works though it is still gorgeous and you’d
recognise his style instantly.

Coming away from this highly enjoyed my time, it has its
hiccups, however minor they may be and it isn’t quite as refined but you can
see all the trappings you’d expect, it is deliciously erotic and the anthology
nature means you can bypass the one-shots you may not be fond of. If you
haven’t yet partaken in the delights of Takeda Hiromitsu I think this is a good
place to start.